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Archives: Robertson allegedly planned a murder-suicide

JConline
4:33 p.m. EDT June 16, 2014

Shannon Robertson

This story was published Wednesday, July 10, 2013, on the JConline.com

Armed with a shotgun, 43-year-old Shannon Lea Robertson lured an ex-boyfriend outside his West Lafayette home via text message for what investigators suspect was an attempted murder-suicide, court documents allege.

Robertson of Indianapolis was arrested within hours in West Lafayette on suspicion of attempted murder, criminal recklessness, pointing a firearm and intimidation.

As of Wednesday afternoon, she was being held in Tippecanoe County Jail on a combined $100,000 surety and $10,000 cash bond — higher than the standard bond amount because of Robertson's alleged history of harassing and threatening the victim and concerns that she's a risk to herself and the community, according to paperwork filed by Tippecanoe County deputy prosecutor Tim Kern.

Formal charges could be filed by Friday.

Lt. Troy Harris, commander of the West Lafayette Police Department investigations division, said Robertson and the victim, 46-year-old James Brent Harmon, were in a relationship that recently soured. She drove to West Lafayette sometime this weekend.

Here's a summary of what allegedly occurred, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Tippecanoe Superior Court 6 with a 72-hour hold request:

Harmon contacted West Lafayette police July 2 regarding a prior investigation involving harassment allegedly by Robertson. He gave police numerous text messages in which Robertson allegedly claimed that she would "continue to pester him, that she would destroy (him) and did not care if she went to jail," the affidavit states.

On Sunday, Harmon received another text message from Robertson, stating that she left some of his property beside his residence. When he went outside to check, Robertson was there. She allegedly pointed a long gun at him, and Harmon ran back inside his house and called police.

Responding officers found Robertson in her vehicle, parked at a nearby residence. A shotgun was on the passenger side.

Robertson told investigators that she got the shotgun from her father's home earlier that day, while driving home from Louisville.

She allegedly admitted that she initially planned to shoot Harmon, then commit suicide, but did not fire the gun.

According to Harris, the attempted murder accusation is because Harmon believes that he heard the gun "click." Harmon was not injured.